【Fujitsu】 FACOM 650 Line Printer

Completed in March 1976, this line printer from Fujitsu was the first Japanese-made printer to use the train cartridge system. It achieved a high printing speed of 2,000 lines per minute with 48 character types, and had the following features:

1) High-speed printing of 2,000 lines per minute with 48 character types was achieved by using the newly developed type train system.

2) By using a front-print system (Note 2) employing a type train instead of a back-print system (Note 1) using a conventional type drum, the new system eliminated the weak points characteristic of previous line printers such as poorly printed and missing letters, and achieved superior printing quality with uniform printing density and good character alignment.

(Note 1) Printing system where the printing type on a type drum is struck with a print hammer from the back side of the paper being printed on.

(Note 2) Printing system where printing is done by striking each print type with a print hammer from the front side of the paper. To do this, the printing types were set on a type train. On the type train, the each type was individually movable.

3) The printer used modular "train cartridges" which could be easily replaced by the operator, and thus it was possible to use a train cartridge with a printing type set suited to the application.

4) High-speed paper feed was achieved by using a DC servomotor with good response.

5) Paper handling was improved by using a new type of built-in power stacker, and performing automatic loading of paper into the stacker at the start of printing, and automatic folding during high-speed printing/paper feed.